Vegetable-washer.



W. J. WEBER.

VEGBTABLE WASHER.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. s, 1912.

1,090,585. Patented Mar.17,1914.

WITNESSES v ATTORNEY the apparatus.

views and referring now to the same: l is UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

WILLIAM J'. WEBER, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA. VEGETABLE-WASHER.

1,090,585. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914. Application filed August 8, 1912. Serial No. 714,057.

To all whom it may concern.' f

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. WEBER, a citizen ofthe United States of America, and resident of Fort lVayne, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vegetable-Washers, of which the following is a specification.

his invention relates to improvements in vegetable washers and the object thereof is to afford a machine of its class for the cleansing of vegetables in variety, in single pieces or in bunches as the case may be, and to provide in the machine means to convey and discharge the cleansed vegetables from naled a shaft 18 upon which is fixed a roller 19 and sprocket-wheel 20.

Upon the rear end of the tank are brack` ets 23 that support a frame 24 at the rear end thereof, the other end of the frame 2st being supported by the shaft 18. At the rear end of the frame 24 is journaled a roller 25, and upon the rollers 25 and 19 is trained an endless conveyer belt 26. Motion is imrevolves as brushes are driven through the medium of the pulley.

n operating the machine, the tank is filled with water to a point sufficient to half submerge the lower brush l5, and the machine is set in motion by means of a suitable power applied to the pulley, the latter being driven in the direction indicated by the arrow. The brush l5 revolves Another object is to afford an adjustment for the mechanism so thatthe apparatus may readily be made suited to pieces and unches of vegetables to be cleaned of various sizes and conditions.

The object of the invention is accomplished by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, partly in vertical section on the line @3*00 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a front view of the apparatus partially in section on the line aof Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a detail view showing one of the supporting brackets for the mechanism and appurtenances.

Similainumerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several comes thereby increased and a part of the water raised by the brush 15 is thrown between the brushes and is expelled in a continuous spray from the rear sides of the brushes onto the conveyer. The vegetables to be washed are first introduced into the introduced between the revolving brushes and are re-` strained more or less by the hand of the operator from being carried on through until the action of the brushes on the vegetables has produced the desired effect, after which the operator releases his hold of the vegetables and they are thrown by the action of the brushes onto the elevator with the spray of water above referred to. Thus the vegetables become conveyed from the machine after they have been cleaned and sprayed. By manipulating the wing-nuts the brushes may be parted more or less to suit the various requirements of the different varieties and conditions of the vegetables.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a vegetable washer, a tank; a bracket upon each side of the tank; a driveshaft rotatably mounted in said brackets; an adjustable casting in each bracket; a

a tank adapted to hold a charge of water, and 2-2 are brackets attached thereto upon the inner opposite sides thereof respectively. Upon each bracket is secured a box 3, in which is journaled a shaft 4. Upon one end of the shaft is fixed a drive pulley 5, andbetween the boxes, upon the shaft, is fixed a cylindrical brush 6. In each of the brackets is arranged a vertically movable casting 7 having bearings 8 and 9. The casting 7 is held between guides l0 on the bracket 2, and is further supported by vertically adjustable bolts 11 upon each of which is a Wing-nut 12. Upon each bolt is arranged a spring 13 which acts downwardly upon` the casting 7. In the bearings 8 of the castings 7 is journaled a shaft 14 upon which is mounted a cylindrical brush l5. The shaft 14C has also fixed thereon a gear 16, and the shaft lthas aV corresponding gear 17 that engages in mesh with the other gear.

In the bearings 9 of the castings 7 is jour- -M Copies of this patent may berobtaned for ve cents each, by addressing the brackets and the other in the castings; means for rotating thelbrushes in opposite directions; an endless belt conveyer eXtend ing into the tank vegetables from between the convey them tions between the adjustable castings and the adjacent end of the conveyer; and means to actuate the conveyer.

In testimony whereof I ailiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses. Y Y

IVILLIAM J. WEBER.

driven shaft rotatably mounted in said castings; two gears in mesh with each other and fixed respectively upon said shafts; a cylindrical brush on each of said shafts;a second driven shaft carried by said adjustable castings; means in connection with the other driven shaft for actuating the second driven shaft; and a conveyer having driven relation with the latter shaft.

2. In a vegetable washer, a tank; brackets upon the opposite sides of the tank; an adustable casing in each bracket; a spring acting against each casting; bolts in connection with the respective brackets for supporting the corresponding castings; two cylindrical brushes, one rotatably mounted in the brushes and Tit-nesses MATHILDA Mnrrnnn, WALTER G. BURNS.

Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. C. f

and adapted to receive therefrom; supporting connec- 

